The art of crafting canoes has been found around the world. Throughout history, these small and simple boats can be found in places like Africa, Canada, the Amazon, and the Netherlands. Today the canoe is a well recognized form of water-faring versatility. The functionality the canoe produces has been emulated by craftsmen for thousands of years. One such craftsman, Vincent Barbro, can be found in the mountains of Franklin, N.C.

Master craftsman Vincent Barbro operates out of a well equipped workshop.

What makes these canoes remarkable is how they are made. Each canoe has been wrought from wood Barbro cuts from his own property. This wood is then sawn down further, and made into tongue and groove strips that will be applied over time to the hull.

“Most of the wood I cut off my own property. I make every piece myself. Every one of these pieces I mill out of rough sawn material. It’s hard to bend. But it’s very strong, and very, very light,” explained Barbro.

This canoe has been more than a year in the making.

As he presented the canoe, Barbro explained, “I’m a master wood worker. I worked as a carpenter my whole life. I started when I was about eight years old, picking up nails,” he laughed. “By the time I was 16, I could build cabinets or build a house,” he said. There was evidence of hard work and years of practice that seemed to be ever present when examining his work.

“This is a little thing that I took off an old boat years ago. It came off of an old, old boat I bought about 35-40 years ago that wasn’t worth fixing, so it was the only thing I salvaged off of it,” he said, pointing to an old decorative plate fixed upon the bow of the canoe. “It’s really a strong canoe. It’s all wood and fiberglass,” he added.

Barbro demonstrates the tongue-in-groove principal he employs when crafting his one-of-a-kind canoes.

Barbro is presently working on another canoe that will weigh 30 lbs and will be 11’6” long.

“This is what they look like when you first start building them,” he said entering the shop. “This is going to be my ‘knock around’ canoe. I started it last summer,” he said. All around the unfinished canoe was an assortment of old and new tools, all of which were organized and maintained in working order.

Above the canoe were dozens of unused strips of wood suspended on racks. “I put them [wood planks] on racks and I dry them. And then after a year I can use them. You have to get the moisture out of it,” explained Barbro.

One of Barbro’s finished canoes is made from oak, hickory and cedar. The seat is hand-caned from native bamboo. The hull has a 4 mil fiberglass cloth, with five coats of resin and four coats of Pettit varnish. It has a removable backrest and handmade paddle. The canoe is 14’10” and weighs 46 lbs.

Barbro said he had been coming to Franklin since 1964. He began living at his residence seven years ago, constantly doing work of some kind for either his church or his home. Around that time he was introduced to the art of canoe building. “I met somebody here in Franklin that builds these. But I thought I would build them differently.

“If someone offered me the right amount of money I will sell it. I wouldn’t sell it for less than $3,000, but I don’t care if I sell it or not,” he said.

What can be seen in Barbro’s work is not only decades of experience, but pride in what he does. All throughout these canoes are intricacies wrought by nothing else but a confident and skilled hand.

“I’ve done wood work all my life so it just comes naturally to me,” Barbro said.

For those who are interested in these hand crafted canoes, feel free to call Vince at (828) 524-7857.